How to deal with fampyrs

[Madscientist]

I play the game on veteran. After level 9 everything was very easy except fampyrs because they dominate you every second.

 

My party is:

watcher: kind wayfarer/beckoner

Eder: fighter/rogue

Aloth: single class wizard

Takehu: single class druid

Maia: ranger/rogue

 

Maia and Eder get dominated every time they attack the fampyrs. All other chars got never dominated, no matter if they used weapon attacks or spells.

My watcher did not have the chant against int afflictions then, so he was more busy attacking my party members ( aegis of loyalty) than attacking the enemy. Looks like fampyrs really hate rogues.

 

Later I found an easy way for some encounters:

When there is enough space on the map, deactivate AI, give Eder Modwyr+another weapon and send him in alone. He charges around to damage them (still playing version 1.02), then finish the rest with crippling strike and cleave stance. (normally my main char uses Modwyr)

 

But in fights where I cannot keep the rest of party away, these fights are really annoying.

 

- Is there a way to deal with fampyrs if you do not have a chanter with the int+res resistance chant?

Even if you can give your chars an int inspiration, you cannot do it every 3 seconds over a whole encounter because some chars get dominated every time they attack a fampyr.

- Is this a bug and did they fix it in version 1.1?

It is normal that fampyrs use dominate spells, but I see no reason why you should be dominated every time you attack them.

[AeonsLegend]

Yea I think Fampyrs are pretty much the strongest enemies in the game due to their stats and domination. You will need to focus on countering Intelligence attacks. Many classes have this as a passive, but there's items as well that do this. Mind you, you only need this on your frontline. So your watcher and Eder should focus on that if you want to fight them.

 

Fampyrs domination attacks are weird, they seem to cast them even if stunned or paralyzed.

Edited June 3, 2018 by AeonsLegend

[Guest]

Captain's Banquet, Svef, or any of the other consumables that give you immunity/resistance to INT afflictions.

[Lokithecat]

I always figured the dominate was a gaze ability, given how often they're doing it.  There is a few immune gaze items that could help out, if that's the case. 

 

I ended up having most of my party die, while killing off the majority of them, and ended the fight with Eder getting dominated, swinging once, redominated, swing once....  until he killed off the remaining two.  If theres only one or two of them, focusing them down before they eat your party isn't bad... but that cave full of them was a pain.

 

There is a bow that strips all the buffs in an area, might work well to have someone with that, parked a ways behind the main party, dedicated to de buffing everyone.

Edited June 3, 2018 by Lokithecat

[dunehunter]

I always figured the dominate was a gaze ability, given how often they're doing it. There is a few immune gaze items that could help out, if that's the case.

 

I ended up having most of my party die, while killing off the majority of them, and ended the fight with Eder getting dominated, swinging once, redominated, swing once.... until he killed off the remaining two. If theres only one or two of them, focusing them down before they eat your party isn't bad... but that cave full of them was a pain.

 

There is a bow that strips all the buffs in an area, might work well to have someone with that, parked a ways behind the main party, dedicated to de buffing everyone.

Agreed, it’s a nightmare to kill these thing in melee, every time my character hit them I get re-dominated. Guess I need a eye-patch. Or go full firearm team.

[ntbittle]

Don't rely on resistances.  Use Svef, or the gaze shield, or Modwyr .

[Lokithecat]

1st level priest spell (and ring w/same effect) works too, Suppress Affliction...  doesn't get rid of the Dom / Charm, just temporarily (10 sec + int bonus) turns it off...  that could be enough time to deal with them.

[Climhazzard]

I would say use suppress affliction... but you forgot to bring Xoti.  Look for Intelligence inspirations then set the AI to use them as following...

 

Self:  Has intellect inspiration (not)                  Tactical Barrage         

[baldurs_gate_2]

Power Level VII Animated Weapons can kill them without a problem, at least with my solo troubador.

[Climhazzard]

I forgot to mention you can counter dominate with liberating exhortation, not to mention a Paladin passive that lets you wake up party members by whacking them with your melee attacks.

[Cragnous]

I just fought a whole bunch of those last night, it was a blast.

 

My kind wayfarer/beckoner had no problems with them. I also gave Modwyr to Eder at some point. Xoti was a life saver in that fight and yeah I need to stock up on more of that Svef.

 

I fought the boss of that Island Mezzo something. Hard fight but great fight. In the end only me and Eder were left standing, it was chaos.

[CountGrishnackh]

in my second and third playthroughs i just used my scavanger hunt banquets for zombie island and had svef on a quick item slot on everyone not wearing modwyr or devil of caroc for all those fampyrs a forgot.

[ErlKing]

You can just cast Chill Fog over your team - blind party cannot be gazed into serving 'sparkling' fampyrs.

[Palas]

Well a priest works quite well. Even without using sev. You have supress afflictions, Int Inspirations, Symbol of Wael and some spells against vessels. Normal Fampyrs can be killed with the level 8 Priestspell.

[Americhemist]

I can confirm that this is still an issue as of today (location Fampyr's Crypt). Was steamrolling on normal difficulty and then got curbstomped by some Fampyrs (no skulls). Every time a party member hits these guys, the party member gets immediately dominated. @Obsidian, please clarify if this is working as-intended.

[thundercleese]

The Red Hand arquebus has an enchant that destroys (lower level) vessels on second consecutive hit. This works on regular Fampyrs, though presumably not named or ancient ones. Send your person with the highest will and/or resist/immunity to int afflictions in first then start shooting.

 

Maia is great for this as her subclass helps mitigate the shorter range.

[Manveru123]

There are three steps.

 

1. Send all of your non-casters as cannon fodder to block the initial assault.

2. When everyone is grouped up, have your casters blow everything up with empowered AoE spells.

3. Loot.

 

Hope I helped.

[FluxWing]

I think this has been posted on various forums, but some bars(ex. Wild Mare) and vendors sell an item that is called:

 

Wael's Wind

 

(cost: ~60-80 cp)

Usually vendors have 2 in stock at a time, but it replenish over the course of the game. Stock up on about 10 of them. 5 for Famp cave, and 5 for the Foggy island in the South East.

 

The item gives the following effect:

• Immunity to Intellect Afflictions
• -1 Dexterity (like all alchoholic beverages in the game).

Beware the buff doesn't last forever, since afterwards you get the usual hangover debuff until you rest again.

But it should last longer than clearing a dungeon given that you do not rest.

 

 

Focus on the Rogue types first, since they hit like crazy.

Their casters usually run out of spells and are less dangerous.

 

They all keep using a Draining Touch type ability, which is what makes them so resilient, and IIRC does Corrode damage and heals them for the damage dealt.

Apply some Constitution afflictions on them to lessen the healing (Sickened, Weakened, Enfeebled).

 

If allowed they will surround and focus down your squishiest party member. Best way to counter this is to minimize the space. Group up in a corner, narrow corridor with ranged weapons, focusing on one Fampyr at a time, while keeping the rest occupied with a tank/summons from a chanter.

[Franknstein]

https://pillarsofeternity.gamepedia.com/Shimmer_Scale – this one has "counters fampyrs all day" written all over it, with the "Warped Scales" upgrade. And you can get it very early in the game.

[M4xw0lf]

The Red Hand arquebus has an enchant that destroys (lower level) vessels on second consecutive hit. This works on regular Fampyrs, though presumably not named or ancient ones. Send your person with the highest will and/or resist/immunity to int afflictions in first then start shooting.

 

Maia is great for this as her subclass helps mitigate the shorter range.

Maia is constantly dominated though if you don't put something with immunity to intellect afflictions on her, or omit the deep wounds talent (as the DoT triggers the dominating gaze bug). Also, on Veteran with upscaling I never saw Fampyrs with level below my own, so the red hand doesn't help.

 

Good to know about Wael's wind, because several of the items mentioned before (Hylea's bounty, Svef) no don't give you immunity anymore, only resistance, meaning you'll still be charmed, which is hardly better.

 

My tactics against Fampyrs consisted of:

-sending Maia away. Better go into the fight with 4 guys only, than having her kill my support (or if you know you're up against Fampyrs, take someone else without DoT talents).

-equipping upgraded Modwyr on my watcher

-equipping Pallegina with upgraded Shimmer Scale

Tekehu and Serafen were periodically dominated, but Pallegina could 'fix' them with Aegis of Loyalty attacks.

Edited July 30, 2018 by M4xw0lf

[thundercleese]

 

The Red Hand arquebus has an enchant that destroys (lower level) vessels on second consecutive hit. This works on regular Fampyrs, though presumably not named or ancient ones. Send your person with the highest will and/or resist/immunity to int afflictions in first then start shooting.

 

Maia is great for this as her subclass helps mitigate the shorter range.

Maia is constantly dominated though if you don't put something with immunity to intellect afflictions on her, or omit the deep wounds talent (as the DoT triggers the dominating gaze bug). Also, on Veteran with upscaling I never saw Fampyrs with level below my own, so the red hand doesn't help.

Never had an issue with her getting dominated, but maybe I just got lucky?

 

The wording on The Red Hand is misleading, and actual level seems to have nothing to do with it. How it should read is "Lesser/Weaker vessels are destroyed..." as that is how it behaves. Hence why I said regular Fampyrs get destroyed, but the Ancient and named ones won't.

[Verde]

The easiest is to use the small shield you get in the Xaurip cave early on. And the Shimmer Scale.

 

And straight up nuke them with casters, even if it hits your melee.

[Verde]

Don't rely on resistances. Use Svef, or the gaze shield, or Modwyr .

Svef doesnt work. I tried it recently.

[uuuhhii]

paladin can handle a little

but Captain's Banquet and priest holding Shimmer Scale are most efficient

[Enoch]

 

Don't rely on resistances. Use Svef, or the gaze shield, or Modwyr .

Svef doesnt work. I tried it recently.

 

Svef was nerfed (along with all the other drugs) a patch or two ago.  At release, it provided Immunity to INT afflictions.  Now it's just Resistance, which only degrades Dominated to Charmed.